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Patented Dec. I3, I898. J. MADLEHNEB & F. HAMILTON.

EXPLOSIVE GAS ENGINE.

(Application filed July 29. 1897A (No Model.)

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(No Model.)

Patented Dec. 13, I898. J. MADLEHNER &. F. HAMILTON. EXPLUSIVE GAS ENGINE.

(Application filed July 29, 1897.) v

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No. 6I6,059. Patented Dec; l3, I898. J. MA'DLEHNER 8|. F. HAMILTON.

EXPLOSIVE GAS ENGINE.

(Applicatign filed July 29, 1897.; v (No Modem 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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NITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JACOB MADLEHNER AND FRANK HAMILTON, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA; SAID HAMILTON ASSIGNOR TO MINNIE HAMILTON, OF SAME PLACE.

EXPLOSIVE-GAS ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 616,059, dated December 13, 1898. I Application filed July 29,1897. $erial No. 646,393. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JACOB MADLEHNER and FRANK HAMILTON, citizens of the United States, residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Explosive-Gas Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object the improvement of explosive-gas engines in their several parts; and it consists in novel features of construction and new combinations and arrangements of the parts of an engine, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the annexed drawings, illustrating an engine constructed according to our improvements,-Figure 1 is a partly-sectional elevation of our improved explosive-gas engine. Fig. 2 is a Vertical section of the same at a right angle to the preceding figure. Figs. 3 and 4.- are Views at a right angle to each other of a portion of the connections for actuating the gas and air valves and governing the same. Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views of the engine-piston at a right angle to each other, showing the piston-pin and pitman connections and means for lubricating the same.

Referring to the drawings Figs. 1 and 2, the numeral 1 designates an upright-engine cylinder surrounded by a water-space 2, inclosed in a jacket-casing 3, having openings at suitable points for connection with any convenient arrangement of pipes 1 to supply a cir-;

culation of cooling medium around the cylinder. There are also tubes 5 extended through the water-jacket to the cylinder 1 for attachment of lubricating devices.

The engine-cylinder 1 is open at its lower end and is supported, together with the jacket 3, by a suitable frame 6, that is securely bolted to the engine-base 7, which in turn is secured to the floor or other support.

In the engine-cylinder there is arranged a piston 8, Figs. 2, 5, and 6, of tubular form, open at its lower end, the upper end of said piston being closed and provided with bearings 9 for detachable connection of a pistonpin 10, Figs. 5 and 6, that is keyed to or otherwise securedin one end of apitman 11, the other end of which is provided with suitable boxing for connection with the crank-pin 12 of a shaft 13, that is mounted in the lower part of the engine-frame. The shaft 13 carries a fly wheel or wheels 14 and also a pulley or band wheel 15, as shown.

For the purpose of lubricating the pistonpin in its bearings 9 there is provided an oil-cup 16, Fig. 5, having a tubular neck 17, that is screwed into an aperture in the under side of the head of the pitman 11, in communication with a channel 18,which is formed in the pitman-head and connects with a longitudinal bore 19 of the hollow piston-pin 10, the upper side of which is provided near its ends with exits 20, Fig. 6, for discharge of oil into the pin-bearings. The oil-cup '16 has a screw-threaded connection with the neck 17, so that the cup can be readily disconnected for the purpose of filling it with oil. At each downward stroke of the piston the oil in the cup 16 is thrown to the highest part of the channel 18, whence it drops into the bore of the hollow piston-pin, and thence passes to the exits 20, thus lubricating the said pin and its bearings. The channel 18 being formed as or about in the manner shown, it will serve as a trap to prevent the escape of oil from the hollow piston -pin except through the exits 20 for lubricating the pin-bearings.

'The piston 8 is lubricated through the tubes 5 and is provided with packing 21, as usual.

In the upper part of the engine-cylinder, at one side, there is a single opening or port 22, Fig. 2, for both charging and exhaust. Through this port 22 the engine-cylinder communicates with a Valve-chest 23, Fig.2, havingfour compartments namelygthe compartment 24, that is in immediate connection with the port 22, the exhaust-compartment 25, the gas-and-air-mixing compartment 26, and the gas-compartment 27. The compartments 25, 26, and 27 are preferably below the compartment 24., the exhaust-compartment 25 being preferably next to the water-jacket of the cylinder,and the gas-and-air mixing compartment 26 and gas-inlet compartment 27 being at the outer side of the exhaust. The gascompartment 27 is provided with a gas-inlet pipe 28, and the gas-and-air-mixing compart ment 26 has an air-inlet pipe 29. A valve 30 controls a port or passage from the gas-compartinent 27 into the gas=and-air-mixing comtoo partment 26, through which all the gas passes, thus becoming thoroughly mixed with the air, while the head or pressure of the gas in passing through the gas-and-air-mixing compartment 26 will create a suction that greatly facilitates the drawing in of atmospheric air and insures a more perfect mixture therewith. On the same stem with the valve 30 there is a valve 31, that controls the delivery of the gas-and-air mixture into the compartment 24, and thence to the engine cylinder. Both valves 30 and 31 are rigidly secured to the valve-stem 32, for which suitable guideways are provided in the walls of the valve-chest.

On a valve-stem 33, Fig. 2, there is carried a valve 34, that controls a port through which the valve-chest compartment 24 is adapted to communicate with the exhaust-compartment 25, to which an exhaust-pipe 35 is connected.

The placing of the exhaust-chamber 25 next to the engine-cylinder, with the gas-compartment 27 and mixing-chamber 26 to the outer side, tends to prevent overheating of the latter, which might resultif the hot exhaust-gas had to pass over the valve 31 in finding an exit to the exhaust-compartment. The several valves 30, 31, and 34 are of disk form, rigidly secured to their stems 32 and 33, and are accurately fitted to the ports they are designed to control.

The stem 32 of the gas-ar1dair valve has a thimble 36 adjustably attached to its lower end. A depending poker-point 37, Fig. 3, is formed on the end of the thimble, and at the side of this point- 37 is a lug 38, having its lower end undercut or beveled upward and inward toward the side of the point, so as to aiford a bearing for a knife-edged poker-point 39, projecting upward from a thimble 40, adjustably carried on the upper end of a pokerrod 41, through which the operation of the valves 30 and 31 is controlled, according to the requirements of the engine. At its lower end the poker-rod 41 has a pivot 42 in the upper bifurcated end of a vertically-reciprocating bar 43, Figs. 3 and 4, for which a guide way is provided in a bracket 44, Figs. 1 and 2, secured to the engine-frame. In the lower end of the bar 43 there is journaled a roller 45, that normally rests on the rotary sleeve 46 of a gear-wheel 47, Figs. 1 and 2. This gear-wheel 47 and its sleeve or elongated hub 46 are loosely mounted on a fixed spindle 48, secured in a bracket 49, bolted to the engineframe. The sleeve 46 is provided with cams 50 and 51, located at suitable points. Through the cam 50, acting on the roller 45, the bar 43 will be moved vertically at suitable intervals, thereby causing the poker-points to engage with each other and move the valves 30 and 31 to an open position for charging the engine-cylinder with an explosive mixture of gas and air. By reference to Figs. 1 and 3 it will be seen that the poker-points are adjustable by means of set-screws 52, so as to permit the stroke of the valves to be lengthened or shortened, as desired. Packing 53, Fig. 3, may be placed between the thimbles of the poker-points and the parts to which they are attached. 4

For the purpose of controlling the valves 30 and 31 according to the speed of the engine there is provided a governor ball or disk 54, Figs. 1 and 3, adjustably mounted on an arm 55, projecting horizontally from the lower port-ion of the poker-rod 41, and a spring 56 is countersunk in the upper end of the vertically-reciprocating bar 43, with one end projecting above the same, so as to bear against the under portion of the poker-rod 41 at one side of its pivot 42, and thus normally hold said rod in such position that on ascent of the bar 43 and rod 41 at normal engine speed the knife-edged poker-point 39 will engage the undercut portion of the lug 38 on the poker-point 37, and thereby raise the valvestem 32 sufliciently to open the valves 30 and 31 for admission of the gas-and-air mixture into the engine-cylinder. By a proper adjustment of the governor ball or disk 54 on the arm 55 the spring 56 will be more or less compressed, so that on a sudden increase in the speed of the engine the poker-rod 41 will be thrown out sufficiently to prevent engagement of the knife-edge point 39 with the undercut lug 38 on the point 37, and thus the valve-stem 32 will not be lifted to open the valves 30 and 31 on that stroke. As soon as the normal speed of the engine is restored engagement of the poker-points will recur at intervals. The poker points are preferably made from case-hardened steel to resist wear. The governor-arm 55, being at a right angle to the pivot-pin 42 of the poker-rod 41, will make the poker-points very sensitive in their operation.

As shown in Fig. 2, the stem 33 of the exhaust-valve 34 has its lower end adjustably connected with a vertically-reciprocating bar 57 that is supported in the guide-bracket 44, and a roller 58 is journaled in the lower bifurcated end of this bar 57 to be acted on by the cam 51 for lifting the exhaust-valve to an open position at proper intervals, alternating with the opening of the gas and air inlet valves as controlled by the cam 50, before mentioned. The gear 47 and its cam-carrying hub or sleeve 46 are driven froma gearwheel 59 on the crank-shaft 13 of the engine.

In the top or head of the engine-cylinder there is arranged an igniter-tube 60, Fig. 2, that projects about two inches, more or less, into the explosion chamber or space above the piston, so that its lower end will be fully immersed in the body of live gas every time the engine-cylinder is charged. By this arrangement of the igniter-tube in extending it down toward the lower part of the explosionchamber there is a certainty of explosion and a better provision for insuring exhaust of the burned gas. A portion of the igniter-tube 60 projects beyond the cylinder-head and is surrounded by a casing 61, with which commua vaporizable oil.

nicates a gas-and-air mixer 62, provided with air-inlets 63, and inclosing a burner jet or tip on the end of a gas-pipe 64, that furnishes the means for heating the igniter-tube.

The engine is operated in the usual manner by intermittent explosions of gas or an inflammable mixture of any suitable gaseous material with atmospheric air. Ordinary illuminating-gas or fuel-gas may be used with this engine, or it may be operated with vapors of a hydrocarbon liquid, such as gasolene or In its operation the engine is adapted to work smoothly and uniformly, and it may be conveniently employed for a variety of purposes.

On the valve-stems 32 and 33 it is preferable to place spiral springs 65 to normally hold the valves closed.

In the poker slide-bar 43 there is a transverse slot 66 and a longitudinal bore 67, extended from the said slot to the lower end of the said bar. Through the slot 66 there is passed a pin 68, the ends of which are supported in the guide-box 44, in which the bar 43 reciprocates. A spring 69 is placed in the bore 67, with one end bearing against the pin 68 and its other end bearing on a pin 70, placed in the lower end of the bore 67 at a right angle to the pin 68. By means of this spring the roller 45 is caused to remain at all times in contact with the rotary sleeve 46 or cam 50 thereon, so as to insure a proper operation of the gas and air valves, as required.

What we claim as our invention is In an engine, the combination with the gasvalve and the air-valve mounted on a single valve-stem, and a poker-point on the end of said valve-stem,of a poker-rod having a pokerpoint to engage the poker-point of the valvestem; a slide-bar in one end of which the said poker-rod is pivoted; an arm projecting from the poker-rod at a right angle to its said pivot; a governor on said arm; a spring in one end of the slide-bar and having a bearing against the adjacent end of the poker-rod a roller in the other end of said bar; a rotary cam to engage said roller; a guideway for the slide-bar; a pin supported in said g'uideway and extended through a slot in said bar; and a spring having a bearing on said pin and incloscd in the slide-bar to hold the roller and cam in engagement, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JACOB MADLEHNERQ FRANK HAMILTON.

Witnesses DAVID HAssLER, ALAX MCDOWELL. 

